visits to the middle of nowhere

proudly filipina

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Barely one day after I came home from rainy Bicol, I had to pack up and fly off to my next job - to a jewel set in the middle of the Sulu Sea called Amanpulo.

I've been here for two days now, and today is the first day the sun has actually come out! Since I am a part of the staff rather than a guest in this playground of the rich, I haven't really had a taste of the great (and very expensive) activities the resort has to offer. However being able to see what is, hands down, one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen in my life has made the trip worth it.

This is a picture of the beach on the eastern side of the island, near the clinic where I work. All the hotel casitas are located on the west side of the island, which is sheltered from the northeasterly wind we've been having for the past few days and is a safer swimming beach. The beach is pristine and deserted, the jewel-like tones of the turquoise waters and the cerulean sky made all the more striking by the blinding white powder-fine sand.

You can see how the sand is even whiter than my unexposed, un-tanned feet!

I'm working here as reliever for the next two weeks while the regular resort doctor attends a conference in Manila. The job offer just dropped into my lap because the doctors he usually asks to take over for him are attending the same conference he is. Knowing that chances are slim that I would ever get to see this amazing island out of pocket, I grabbed the opportunity in a heartbeat.

Now here I am, the only doctor on an island literally in the middle of nowhere, an hour and a half away from Manila by plane. The thought is terrifying, yet exhilarating in its own way. It certainly is a world away from the kind of work I would be doing in the hospital now, had I chosen to continue on to fellowship the way my other batchmates have.

My friends wonder how a person as decidedly urban as I am will cope in a place where there are no shopping malls, no gimmick places, and lights are turned off by nine o'clock. But being surrounded by all this natural beauty is a pretty good trade off for the bright lights of the city - and I think I'm going to do just fine.

9 comments:

iris
said...

OMG. you're in amanpulo and for free nonetheless!!! you are so lucky to be away from all the smoke, pollution, poltiical controversis, and unsettling economic events of the city. hehe. so now that i've made it sound more appealing to be an hour and a half flight away from civilization, would you rather stay there nalang? :)

the beach is beautiful. i can imagine the kind of serenity of the place. oh my gosh. i cannot stop gushing at how lucky you are for getting paid to spend 2 weeks in amanpulo. :)

the place is beautiful claire! this time, you're literally in the middle of nowhere. the only nowhere with an internet access. tell us more about your adventures, ok? and your you-like-me escapades. hehe

@ ris: I am hired help, but I don't mind the quiet. :) I have yet to try the water - I'm not sure I can use the beach near the casitas - but the pangit beach i showed you can be used by the staff.

Nonetheless, being near the water is soothing enough for me, i don't really need to swim. i'm catching up on my reading list - halfway through "The Other Boleyn Girl" already - and just enjoying the beauty of the place.

@walking on water - hello! walang pwedeng you like me dito! :))

@ manggy: nakakainggit kasi you can't swim where the guests swim, pero super ganda talaga dito na it's almost okay. One up side is that I can dine at the restaurants naman... the food is okay, but for the price... well. :P

Ah... so this is where you are! Wow, must add this to my "To Do Before I Croak" list, hehehe...Enjoy Amanpulo, Claire. I eagerly await stories of your adventures there. I hope they will be limited to travel adventures and no "medical" adventures. :)

stumbled upon your blog page as i was surfing the net for job openings in amanpulo as a resort physician. i am currently in another resort in palawan as well. the name is club paradise, north of palawan but closer to coron. my contract is ending soon and i was thinking of trying my luck out for a stint where you are now. you're a very lucky girl. i accepted this job in a heartbeat as well and flew straight here 2 days after i found out that they needed me.

perhaps you'd like to work here too then maybe we can exchange contacts and experiences. you can email me at marsonearth2000@yahoo.com

enjoy your stay there! living on an island is different indeed, but i am enjoying every bit of it as any beach is my home... i guess you feel the same way.